Safe Radiation Treatment for Inoperable Lung Cancer
Author Information
Author(s): Sergio L Faria, Luis Souhami, Lorraine Portelance, Marie Duclos, Te Vuong, David Small, Carolyn R Freeman
Primary Institution: McGill University Health Centre
Hypothesis
Hypofractionated radiotherapy may overcome repopulation in rapidly proliferating tumors such as lung cancer.
Conclusion
The hypofractionated radiation treatment is safe, well tolerated, and effective for patients with medically inoperable lung cancer.
Supporting Evidence
- Two patients experienced grade ≤ 2 acute pneumonitis and three had mild acute esophagitis.
- There was no late toxicity observed in any patients.
- Actuarial 1 and 2-year overall survival rates were 78% and 56%, respectively.
- Cancer specific survival rates were 90% and 74% at 1 and 2 years.
- Local relapse free survival rates were 93% and 76% at 1 and 2 years.
Takeaway
This study shows that a special type of radiation treatment for lung cancer is safe and doesn't make patients feel sick.
Methodology
Patients with early stage non-small cell lung cancer were treated with 52.5 Gy in 15 fractions over 3 weeks using 3-dimensional conformal planning.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to the lack of a control group and the retrospective nature of the study.
Limitations
The study is retrospective and may not account for all variables affecting patient outcomes.
Participant Demographics
The median age of participants was 76 years, with 72% male and 28% female.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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